Bastion [Game Review]

Hello, traveler. Came in for another review, didn’t I?? Understand. Many people now want to be creators. We also wanted to create an ideal world, alas, it didn’t turn out very ideal. What am I talking about? This question also tormented many. Perhaps I will have to upset you and tell you that I will tell you the same thing as all the other people who asked me a similar question.

Distant Beginnings

You’ll have to start from afar, but we know how it works, so have a little patience. Because we can’t help but start this conversation by thinking about independent development. As a phenomenon, this type of game development has existed for quite a long time, but only in the last 5 years the flow of indie games has acquired the scale of an avalanche that is trying to cover us. But, just as looking at an avalanche from afar, you can notice beautiful things in this stream that occupy you exclusively, so by looking closely at individual projects you can discover magical worlds for yourself. It was thanks to the creation of such a world and its skillful filling that the studio gained its first fame and profit Supergiant Games. The people in this company were clearly not afraid to make fun of themselves, otherwise they would not have taken such a name for a studio that employed only 7 people. But as the developers themselves noted, they are a small company that sets big goals for themselves. We were able to find out exactly what goals this company sets for itself already in 2011 with the release of their first game – Bastion. For them, this was an almost daily feat for two years, because now it is published under the auspices of the large and terrible corporation of the Warner brothers, and these people financed the beginning and most of the development from their own pockets.

But this is all, of course, lyrics. After all, what do we, as consumers, actually care about these tricks, suffering and overcoming?? Give us a good game, so that ten out of ten goosebumps will reach our fingertips.

And they served it. And the sky went wild… Oh, no. This is a different story. Everyone just saw the game. Don’t you know what people saw when they launched the game for the first time?? Seriously? After all, it’s scary to say that 6 years have passed. But so be it, because you probably had more important things to do.
Players saw beautiful locations that seemed to come straight out of the illustrations of children’s fairy tales, drawn perhaps even with greater diligence. In most cases, the level is built right in front of the player’s feet, a very non-trivial find, which by the middle of the game, although it does not disappear completely, is noticeably less common than at the beginning. But we didn’t come to an interactive exhibition, so it’s important to mention the history, gameplay, and in general everything else that does not concern level design and other artistic issues.

Get up, friend, you’ll sleep through the adventures.

The power of the speaker

History dominates everything here, https://independentcasinosites.co.uk/review/golden-genie/ like bread on the table. After all, in the end, everything here is subordinated to it – the combat system, leveling, visual style and music. Where does it start here?? A certain boy wakes up in a world destroyed by the Cataclysm and follows the evacuation point, the central base and the ark rolled into one – Bastion. They will tell us what exactly the protagonist was doing, but before that a very noticeable period will pass. They will shed light on the nature of the Cataclysm that destroyed this world, without slipping into the classical, but very tired concept of nuclear war, although it goes somewhere around it.
They won’t tell us one thing – the name of the main character. But at the same time, without endowing him with any chosenness. He is a simple man caught in interesting circumstances. Everyone here calls him Guy (meaningful Kid in the English version), and he, such an eccentric, is not offended and only runs on to carry out the tasks that the narrator sets for him. Why is the narrator? Because Rux (the name of the gentleman who meets us at Bastion) talks about what awaits us at the new location, is surprised at our successes and ironizes over our mistakes. (This doesn’t remind you of anything?) Perhaps this is the moment when the developers found the ideal tool to move the plot forward without interrupting the action for long cutscenes. And we must give them credit, the pace of the game turned out to be so well adjusted, as if talent, time and soul were weighed on jewelry scales by experienced chemists. Another thing is that you can fully enjoy all the delights of a foreign young lady, which is called voice acting, only if you have a good knowledge of the language. Although, even a master of the Department of Foreign Languages ​​can be confused by a rather lengthy commentary on what is happening in the middle of a heated fight, during which you only think about how to successfully block a projectile, dodge opponents and strike most effectively.

An original map, it’s a pity there aren’t so many places you can fly to.

If speech creeps into the gameplay like a cunning turtle, I will no longer allow myself to fuss and will continue to speak about it directly. At its core, Bastion is an isometric action game, largely inspired by the JRPGs of the 80s, but devoid of the game design problems of the last century. Despite the fact that the character gains experience and grows in levels, it hardly even amounts to a role-playing element. Because as the level increases, only the amount of health changes and new slots for drinks appear, which will be discussed below. In terms of the action itself, the game is more or less inventive. Although there are not very many types of enemies, they are diverse enough in their impact on the player so that their routine extermination does not force you to abandon the game 15 minutes after the start. At the same time, the problem of repeated game situations is quite relevant, especially in the first part of the game.
11 types of weapons and about 25 special attacks of varying degrees of usefulness are designed to diversify the process of exterminating opponents. In addition, each type of weapon has a separate test, some of which can make you sweat a lot if you want the first prize. Thanks to such a wide selection of means of inflicting justice, you can build interesting and effective combat tactics in accordance with your views on interestingness and effectiveness. Moreover, you can vary the weapons as you please, even hang yourself with long-range models, or put weapons for close combat in your pockets. At the same time, only 2 types of weapons and one super attack can be at your immediate disposal. There are, however, annoying moments – when you find a new weapon, you immediately pick it up to replace the one you had in your hands, and everything would be fine, but it may not be very convenient in the current situation, and even without upgrading, the effectiveness of some types of weapons is very mediocre. Moreover, for each weapon there are 6 levels of modernization. At each level you can choose one of two upgrades that best suit your playstyle. And yes, these improvements have a very significant effect on your effectiveness in battle.

So many things. Where to start?

Construction to the music

What is the problem with changing weapons you ask?? The fact is that it changes exclusively in Arsenals, one of which can be built in Bastion, and the rest are sparingly dispersed throughout the game locations. Oh yes, construction. The thing is that in order to gain its full strength, Bastion needs energy sources, the so-called cores. And for every core found and used in the bastion we will be allowed to build one of six buildings. The selection consists of a distillery, armory, forge, store, memorial and shrine.

And if we briefly mentioned the arsenal and the forge – in the first building you can change the set of weapons, and in the second all improvements are carried out, then the remaining architectural monuments of the Bastion need to be mentioned separately.

In the distillery you can, as usual, have a drink, and the choice of drinks is quite extensive, and the improvements that drinks give are sometimes very useful. Essentially, drinks are ordinary things that you can use to enhance your character. New drink slots open with each level, up to 10th.

The memorial allows us to receive a certain amount of local currency for completing such in-game achievements. They are usually associated either with a specific type of weapon or with gathering.

But the sanctuary allows you to complicate your life with the help of various enemy enhancements. It becomes most relevant in New Game+, where you save all levels, upgrades and weapons. If you didn’t want to feel like a killing machine in this game, then idols will come to your aid and give your enemies various boosts. But all this is not for the sake of idle self-torture – for completing levels using idols you will be awarded bonuses to the experience received from these enemies and local currency.

The music in the game is very good, it’s not for nothing that many called it one of the best soundtracks of 2011. And all this thanks to an unknown at the time of the game’s release, Darren Korb. Darren perfectly understood what the development team wanted to create and came up with great compositions that are pleasant to listen to on their own, and they fit into the game just perfectly.
If you don’t believe me, ask your ears.

We should already sum it up, but it’s quite difficult to do it briefly and remain satisfied with ourselves. At first glance, Bastion is full of simple, albeit interesting mechanics, somewhat tedious destruction of enemies, a strong plot and good music. But if you approach the game with a mood of a little melancholic thoughtfulness and try to penetrate the depth of the questions that the developers are trying to pose to us, the game can drag you into the jungle of philosophical reflections. In any case, if you only have a little time and want something small but pleasant – Bastion will be an excellent choice to while away a couple of evenings, or even encourage you to start a new game +. And if you have a lot of free time, then it’s absolutely recommended to get acquainted with Bastion. The only thing that can seriously scare people away is the noticeable monotony of the process; other controversial issues will hover only at the level of taste.